1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting head for ejecting liquid in accordance with a liquid jetting system so as to perform printing on a print medium, and a liquid ejecting apparatus having the same. In particular, the present invention relates to the optimization of a liquid suction tube provided for avoiding adhering or dropping of liquid droplets to or from the surface of a liquid ejection port.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting liquid so as to print an image on a print medium, sub droplets smaller than main droplets or fine liquid droplets (i.e., mists or droplets of mist) splashing on the print medium float between a liquid ejecting head and the print medium, and therefore, they may smear various kinds of equipment housed inside of the apparatus. For example, in a case where droplets of mist adhere to a pinch roller for pressing the print medium, liquid irrelevant to image formation may be unintentionally transferred onto the print medium together with the rotation of the roller. Moreover, in a case where mists adhere in the vicinity of an ejection port of a liquid ejecting head, and then, dry, the ejection port is obstructed with the resultant adhering mists. Consequently, the ejection cannot be normally carried out, thereby possibly degrading the quality of an image.
In contrast, U.S. Patent Laid-Open No. 2006/0238561 or Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2010-137483, for example, discloses a configuration in which an air suction port is formed in the vicinity of a liquid ejecting head, thus sucking mists floating with air. The configuration disclosed in U.S. Patent Laid-Open No. 2006/0238561 or Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2010-137483 can effectively remove mists floating between the liquid ejecting head and a print medium so as to suppress any smear on an image with the mists.
However, even if mists are once sucked through a suction port into a liquid pathway, they coalesce into a large liquid droplet in the pathway, and then, the resultant coalesced large liquid droplet drops from the suction port, thereby possibly smearing a print medium or the inside of an apparatus.